the role of tourism in natural resource management in the okavango ...

Prefodiafoka fence constructed in 1982 and 1996, respectively, helped separate
cattle from buffalo carrying the Foot and Mouth Disease virus (Raborokgwe, 1998).
Kalikawe (1997) notes that these and other fences were often constructed under
emergencies as a response to disease outbreaks and as such no Environmental
Impact Assessments were undertaken before they were built.
Apart from this, Raborokgwe (1998) shows that many of the fences constructed
have provided some positive impacts on their surroundings. The Southern Buffalo
Fence has actually saved the Okavango Delta from being overrun by livestock
during successive years of drought. The fences set up in the north-western part of
the Ngamiland district also contained the spread of the Chronic Bovine
Pleuropneumonia disease from engulfing the rest of the country, thus saving many
of the cattle herds from the disease.
These policies have, however, also led to much controversy as many research
veterinarians disagree on the effectiveness of this means of disease control
(Broekhuis, 1998). Even so, it has been demonstrated that the use of these
veterinary cordon fences have stopped the spread of Foot and Mouth Disease not
only across the country but also from one neighbouring country to the next. As noted
by Raborokgwe (1998), the Foot and Mouth Disease outbreak of 1980 was traced to
the smuggling of infected cattle from Namibia. Fences which have since been
constructed on the northern border between Namibia and Botswana have helped
keep outbreaks of Foot and Mouth Disease out of the country.
5.4.2.15 The Impact of Fences on Migration Patterns
According to Ross (1987), there are over 3000 kilometres of fences throughout
Botswana, and most of these were constructed with little forethought as to what their
impact would be on the habitat and migration patterns of wild animals. Due to the
presence of the veterinary cordon fences, Botswana is now divided into two
relatively distinct "functional systems". As shown in Figure 5.10, the districts of
Kgalagadi, Ghanzi and Kweneng make up the Southwestern System and
Ngamiland, Chobe and the Central districts comprise the Northwestern System
(Crowe, 1995).
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